Shipping container



Jan. 28, 1964 R. G. GULLIKSON 3,119,545

SHIPPING CONTAINER Filed Aug. 9, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

RALgH QQLJLUKS N BY 7 'M PgToRNjYs United States Patent Ofilice 3,119,545 Patented Jan. 28, 1964 3,119,545 SHIPPRLJG CUNTADIER Ralph G. Guliihson, Gibbsboro, N..l., assignor to Givenslinois Glass Company, a corporation of Ohio Filed Aug. 9, 1962, Ser. No. 215,939 3 Claims. (Cl. 229-16) This invention relates to a shipping container, and more particularly, to a one-piece, self-locking paperboard shipping container.

It is an object of this invention to provide a one-piece, self-locking paperboard shipping container.

Another object of this invention is to provide a selflocking shipping container formed from a minimum amount of material.

A further object of this invention is to provide an easily erected self-locking shipping container having superior top and bottom compressive strength.

A further object of this invention is to provide a shipping container having a flat, uninterrupted bottom for easy mechanized conveying in either direction.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a shipping container having manual gripping means of superior strength.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein are set forth, by way of illustration and example, the pre ferred embodiments of this invention.

On the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the blank used to form the container of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view, partially broken away, showing the container of this invention partly erected.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the erected container of this invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional vie-w taken along the line 44 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 55 of FIG. 3.

The container of this invention is preferably formed of foldable sheet-like material, such as corrugated paperboard. Referring to FIG. 1, the container is erected from a blank A which is preferably a sheet of corrugated paperboard that has been slit and scored to form a series of foldably connected panels.

The blank A comprises a bottom panel which has a rectangular configuration. A pair of side wall panels 11 and 12 are foldably connected to opposed edges of the bottom panel along score lines 13 and 14. Each side wall panel has a pair of end wall panels 15 and 1d foldably connected to its end edges along score lines 17 and 13, respectively. The width of each end wall panel is preferably equal to the width of the bottom panel 10. Each end wall panel has a manual gripping or finger admitting aperture 26 formed therein. These apertures are located so as to be aligned where the end wall panels are overlapped in a manner to be described. The end wall panels 15 have a narrow, elongated handle flap 2.7 foldably attached to the upper edge of their apertures.

Conventional closure flaps 19 are foldably attached along score lines 2% to the outer free edges of each of the end and side wall panels. A generally trapezoidal end flap 21 is foldably connected along score lines 22 to the end edges of the bottom panel 16. The end flap 21 has an outer portion 23 which is divided from the main portion of the end flap by double score lines 24. Each outer portion 23 has a pair of transversely extending tabs 25 foldably attached to its end edges. The span of an outer portion together with its associated tabs is slightly greater than the width of the bottom panel 16.

Referring to FIGS. 2-5, in erecting the container of this invention, the side wall panels 11 and 12 are folded to upstanding relationship, normal to the bottom panel. The end wall panels are folded normal to their respective side wall panel and into overlapping relationship with each other. The end flaps 21 are then upwardly folded to overlie the exterior surface of the outer of a pair of overlapped end wall panels. The tabs 25 are inwardly folded to overlie in parallel relationship the outer portion 23 which is then reversely folded through the aligned apertures 26. After the outer portion has been folded through the apertures, the tabs 25 are unfolded and extended into interlocking engagement with slots 28 formed in the side wall panels 11 and 12. The overlapped end wall panels are thus locked together by the reversely folded outer portion 23, which in 'turn is locked in place by the tabs 25. The container of this invention is now ready to receive the goods, for example, eggs in bulk, to be packaged therein.

The upper end of the container is closed by the closure flaps 19 in any suitable conventional manner. The handle flaps Z7 are infolded to permit easier manual carrying of the container. It may be noted that the container, as thus assembled, has a fiat uninterrupted bottom and double end Walls. The double end walls contribute to the top to bottom compressive strength of the container and cause the manual gripping means to be of superior strength. As can be seen from FIG. 1, the container of this invention is formed with a minimum amount of waste material.

It will, of course, be understood that various details of construction may be modified through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and it is not, therefore, the purpose to limit the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A paperboard shipping container comprising, a bottom panel, a pair of side wall panels foldably attached to oppositely disposed edges of said bottom panel, each of said side wall panels having a pair of end wall panels foldably attached to opposed end edges thereof, said side wall folded normal to said bottom panel to define the sides of said container, said end wall panels folded into over lapping relationship with the corresponding end wall panel of the opposite side wall panel to define the end walls of said container, said end wall panels having apertures which are aligned when said end wall panels are in said overlapping relationship to provide manual gripping means for the ends of said container, end flaps overlying the outer surface of said overlapped end wall panels, said end flaps being foldably attached to said bottom panel, the outer portions of said end flaps being reversely folded through said apertures and downwardly to lie in parallel face-toface contact with the innermost of said end wall panels to lock said end wall panels together, tabs attached to said outer portions, said tabs extending into interlocking engagement with slots formed in said side wall panels to maintain said outer portion in said reversely folded position.

2. A container as defined in claim 1, plus closure flaps foldably attached to the upper edges of said end and side wall panels and arranged to close the upper end of said container.

3. The end construction of a paperboard shipping container having a bottom panel comprising an end flap foldably secured to said bottom panel, a pair of side wall panels foldably secured to said bottom panel, said side wall panels arranged adjacent to and on either side of said end flap, a pair of end wall flaps fo-ldably secured to the end edges of said side wall panels, said side wall panels folded normal to said bottom panel to form sides for said container, said end wall panels folded into overlapping relationship to define an end Wall for said container, apertu-res formed in said end Wall panels, said apertures being aligned when said end Wall panels are overlapped to provide manual gripping means for said container, said end flap being folded parallel to said end wall panels and an outer portion of said end flap being reversely folded through said apertures and downwardly to lie in parallel face-to-face contact with the innermost of said end Wall pf tabs foldably connected to said outer portion, said tabs 4 extending into interlocking engagement with said side wall panels to maintain said outer portion in said reversely folded position.

References (Iited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 590,058 Filmer Sept. 14, 1897 2,459,939 Hill et a1. Jan. 25, 1949 Triekett et al Nov. 24, 1958 

1. A PAPERBOARD SHIPPING CONTAINER COMPRISING, A BOTTOM PANEL, A PAIR OF SIDE WALL PANELS FOLDABLY ATTACHED TO OPPOSITELY DISPOSED EDGES OF SAID BOTTOM PANEL, EACH OF SAID SIDE WALL PANELS HAVING A PAIR OF END WALL PANELS FOLDABLY ATTACHED TO OPPOSED END EDGES THEREOF, SAID SIDE WALL FOLDED NORMAL TO SAID BOTTOM PANEL TO DEFINE THE SIDES OF SAID CONTAINER, SAID END WALL PANELS FOLDED INTO OVERLAPPING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CORRESPONDING END WALL PANEL OF THE OPPOSITE SIDE WALL PANEL TO DEFINE THE END WALLS OF SAID CONTAINER, SAID END WALL PANELS HAVING APERTURES WHICH ARE ALIGNED WHEN SAID END WALL PANELS ARE IN SAID OVERLAPPING RELATIONSHIP TO PROVIDE MANUAL GRIPPING MEANS FOR THE ENDS OF SAID CONTAINER, END FLAPS OVERLYING THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID OVERLAPPED END WALL PANELS, SAID END FLAPS BEING FOLDABLY ATTACHED TO SAID BOTTOM PANEL, THE OUTER PORTIONS OF SAID END FLAPS BEING REVERSELY FOLDED THROUGH SAID APERTURES AND DOWNWARDLY TO LIE IN PARALLEL FACE-TO-FACE CONTACT WITH THE INNERMOST OF SAID END WALL PANELS TO LOCK SAID END WALL PANELS TOGETHER, TABS ATTACHED TO SAID OUTER PORTIONS, SAID TABS EXTENDING INTO INTERLOCKING ENGAGEMENT WITH SLOTS FORMED IN SAID SIDE WALL PANELS TO MAINTAIN SAID OUTER PORTION IN SAID REVERSELY FOLDED POSITION. 